That's right. Somehow over the last 3 months, I've run more miles on the treadmill than I have outside. And I've come to accept that.
I've had a treadmill for 12 or so years. I don't remember exactly when we bought one, but it was sometime right before or after Shoo (who is now 12) was born. I know this because I remember putting him down for a nap on the bed next to the treadmill and running while he slept. That treadmill was my lifeline when he was little because he refused to nap in a stroller. (Jones, on the other hand, used to nap for HOURS as long as the stroller or the car was moving...) So, I'd drop Jones at preschool, get Shoo down for a nap, and run for as long as he'd sleep.
But once the kids got older, I only used … [Read more...]

Here we are with three days left in 2017. It's the final Friday Five of the year and the final Runfessions. And I have to admit that I do have a few runfessions to share...
As I write this, I'm 4.8 miles from 1400 for the year and 7.1 miles from 100 from December. I must runfess that it's kind of killing me that I can't make both work out to a nice number for the total. Obviously, I'll be running at least the 7.1 to reach my 100 mile goal for every month in 2017.
I have to runfess that I haven't run a whole lot this month and most of it has been on the treadmill. I'm really enjoying the Faster Way to Fat Loss workouts (affiliate link), but they aren't conducive to getting an outside run in most days. I've been doing warmups and … [Read more...]

I was provided the NordicTrack Commercial 1750 treadmill in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion in this sponsored post.
Last winter, I did not have a treadmill. My old one died after 10 faithful years of service and my new NordicTrack Commercial 1250 had not arrived yet. Thankfully, I did not have a spring marathon in the plans, because we got hit with 23" of snow IN ONE WEEKEND last winter. I'll train outside in all kinds of weather, but it's kind of hard to train when all the surfaces are covered with over a foot of snow! I know a lot of people who put in a lot of miles on treadmills last winter.
Luckily, by the time I need to start training for the Marine Corps Marathon, my new treadmill had arrived. Unfortunately, so … [Read more...]

I was provided the NordicTrack Commercial 1750 in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion in this sponsored post.
I've had my NordicTrack 1750 Commercial Treadmill for about 5 months at this point, so I thought that for Friday Five I'd share why I'm loving having it. As treadmills go, I'm very pleased - the motor is strong, the belt is long and wide, and the features are many. But what I really love most about it is what it allows me to do.
1. I can run in any weather. I'm not really a fair weather runner, but I am not a fan of the heat AT ALL. While my Marine Corps training did not go as planned, it went as well as it did thanks to my NordicTrack treadmill in the playroom. And it's not a bummer that it has an awesome fan. … [Read more...]

I was provided the NordicTrack Commercial 1750 in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion in this sponsored post.
Earlier this spring, I was fortunate to receive a new NordicTrack Commercial 1750 treadmill. I had been without a treadmill for a couple of months and was absolutely ready to get a new one. I had been doing a bunch of research and this treadmill was definitely in the top choices in the price range I was considering. So, when I was offered this one, I jumped at the opportunity.
I’ve been running on the NordicTrack Commercial treadmill (as has Beer Geek) now for a few months. There was a bit of a learning curve at first to figure out all of the features, but now we are best friends (ok, I'm still learning all the bells … [Read more...]

Last week was... interesting. I didn't run a whole lot, but I'm going to claim that I was tapering for next weekend's RNR DC. Or maybe I just had a lot going on and my running motivation ran away. Something like that. Also, it was a very typical Virginia March - I ran in a tank top one day and it snowed on another day.
Tuesday I got a lovely package in the mail from Skirt Sports - skirts in the Free Love pattern!
I, of course, immediately put one on and headed out for a 3 mile run, where I stopped to vote. It was a beautiful day and I quickly shed my long sleeve shirt and ran in my tank top.
Wednesday my treadmill arrived. Yes, that was the highlight of my week!
Thursday I decided to take a break from running and went to … [Read more...]

Disclaimer: I was provided the NordicTrack Commercial 1750 treadmill as compensation in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion in this sponsored post.
I've been talking for a while about the sad demise of my old treadmill.
I think I literally ran it to death as I used it for miles and miles of marathon training through winters of excessive snow and summers of ridiculous heat. I was sad to see it go, but I'm really excited about my new treadmill that arrived yesterday.
The NordicTrack Commercial 1750 is big change from my old treadmill. It's bigger (hence the cleaning out of the playroom), it's more powerful, and it's WAY more techy. After years of running on a functional treadmill, I'm kind of excited to try out the … [Read more...]

Last week was crazy busy and Friday continued the trend. We dropped off the Pilot at the dealership at crazy early and then I spent the rest of the day at Shoo's school. I run a book swap every February in honor of Dr. Seuss's birthday, so I spent the entire day helping kids choose books. I love love love this event as some of the kids at our school have no books at home and it also gives me a chance to interact with the kids and the teachers. This was my last year leading the event as Shoo only has one year left of elementary school. I've been doing this since he was 3! How did that happen???
Friday I also received the call that my new treadmill will arrive on Wednesday! I'll tell you more about it when it arrives, but I'm super … [Read more...]

1. Yesterday was kind of a nasty day. The forecast called for 3-6 inches of snow and the schools closed for the day. Reality? 35 degree rain with some flurries mixed in. While I'll run a race in that kind of weather, I'm not going to choose to go out in that (especially when everyone in my house is fighting a cold), so I hit up the treadmill. Unfortunately, I've somehow lost the ability to just run a steady state run at a decent speed. I can either do speed intervals or run slow enough to read my kindle. Yesterday I chose the kindle. Sometime soon I need to stop reading the mind candy. It's starting to rot my brain.
2. Speaking of Kindle, back when I bought mine, I got two months of free Amazon Prime. And that's how they hook … [Read more...]

I try to run at least one run each week barefoot on the treadmill. I feel like it helps me be really aware of my form and how my feet are landing. I find it virtually impossible to heel strike while barefoot as it just hurts too much.
My treadmill has kind of a rough belt, plus it gets pretty warm. In fact, the brand I have was deemed "unrunnable" by a barefoot runner who reviewed a bunch of treadmills. I don't think it's unrunnable, but around the four mile mark, the balls of my feet start feeling a bit roughed up.
Enter a pair of Adidas socks:
Why these socks? 1. I had them on already. 2. They are cheap. 3. They are black, so wouldn't show the dirt as much.
I didn't actually expect to wear them for the whole run. … [Read more...]

Happy Birthday and Happy Blogiversary to Toni at Running, Loving, Living. In honor of both, I ran her 3.5 mile virtual run. It was icy outside and I've been wearing Vibrams lately (pretty sure that's not a good shoe choice for ice...), so I decided to do her race as speed work on the treadmill. The only truly notable part of the run was mile 2 was my fastest mile ever at 7:25 and I did it barefoot!!!
I was just a little sweaty!
I had a little road rash on my feet at the end.
Thanks, Toni, for giving me an excuse to push myself!!
I've survived the most stressful parts of this week. Just two more meetings today, the Pinewood Derby tomorrow, and then I can focus on our annual … [Read more...]

The heat here lately has been sucking all of my motivation to run long or run fast. I've been all about the short runs at a 10+ minute pace. Knowing today was going to be 78 degrees at 6:30 am and 80 degrees at 8:00 am, I wasn't particularly motivated to get up and out early. It was going to suck either way. Knowing I only needed 6 miles to hit my 20 for the week and knowing that I had two days to get the miles in didn't particularly motivate me either.
I finally headed out at around 8:15, knowing I needed to be back by a few minutes to 9, I planned 3 easy miles. Mile 1 - 9:29 and it didn't suck. Hmm, mile 2 - 9:36 and it still felt pretty good. Mile 3 - 9:21, ok, that felt a little too fast. Mile 4 - 9:42. Crap, I'm feeling … [Read more...]

Who is MCM Mama?
A slightly obnoxious mom and wife who loves good beer and running, who struggles a bit with depression especially in the winter and when running isn’t allowed, who’d rather go on a fun vacation than upgrade the kitchen or add a master bath.

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A slightly obnoxious mom and wife who loves good beer and running, who struggles a bit with depression especially in the winter and when running isn’t allowed, who’d rather go on a fun vacation than upgrade the kitchen or add a master bath. Read More…

Here we are, a crazy number of days into Virginia’s Stay at Home order. Today, the Northern Virginia area began Phase 1, which means more things will be open at reduced capacity and with masks required in establishments. To be honest, it’s not really going to change my behavior (we are super careful), including that […]